Election 2028

I recently watched an episode of Meet the Press that addressed the growing epidemic of loneliness among young people in America. As various doctors, professors, and psychologists weighed in, I noticed a key element missing from their analysis. While many pointed to social media as the primary culprit, I believe Arthur Brooks—referred to as the “happiness doctor”—came closest to identifying the root issue. Brooks explained that happiness is built on three essential “moorings”: Enjoyment Satisfaction Meaning He argued that today’s youth are largely missing the third component— meaning . According to Brooks, young people must be engaged in a mission or cause that transcends themselves. His prescription for the loneliness epidemic is to invest in relationships through groups that encourage meaningful conversations and shared activities. While the professionals on the show agreed that social media plays a significant role—particularly through the negative spiral of constant comparison—they...

Populism and the Presidency Donald Trump is a populist president. This is not the first time that populism has made an impact on our politics. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous 'Cross of Gold' speech at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. In this speech, Bryan used a cross of gold as a metaphor for the nation being crucified by the gold standard. He proclaimed, "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." Bryan was particularly popular in labor and farming regions, as farmers struggled to secure credit under the gold standard. Bryan advocated expanding the standard to include silver, making credit more accessible. Notably, while this speech secured Bryan the Democratic nomination for the presidency, he lost to McKinley in the general election. Interestingly, this is the same President McKinley with whom Donald Trump has drawn comparisons.  In my opinion Mckinnly was pus...